Asia

Home page

Asia

Two members of Abu Sayyaf group captured in S. Philippines

11 March 2012 04:46 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Philippine security forces have captured two Abu Sayyaf militants in the restive southern Philippines, police said on Sunday, APA reports quoting news.xinhuanet.com website.

Serham Akalan and Idris Anni, both members of Abu Sayyaf terrorist group linked to al-Qaeda, were separately arrested in the province of Basilan, regional police commander Chief Superintendent Mario Avelino said.

"They were behind the deaths of our soldiers," he said.

Akalan was implicated in the killing of 14 Marines in Al-Barka town while Anni was linked to the 2001 kidnapping of workers of Golden Harvest Plantation in Lantawan town.

The Abu Sayyaf, active in southern Philippines, was founded in the 1990s and has perpetrated a number of high-profile attacks, including kidnapping, bombing and beheading.

The Philippine military estimates the Abu Sayyaf currently has less than 400 members.